


Christmas Eve

by jaimeekate



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 03:50:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8829367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaimeekate/pseuds/jaimeekate
Summary: It's Christmas Eve at the garage, but not everyone's full of the holiday spirit.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FoxPhile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxPhile/gifts).



> This is for Scorpion Secret Santa! Enjoy!

It was 11:03pm on Christmas Eve. They could hear the muffled shouts from outside the garage, and everybody had spent the last twenty minutes trying their best to distract themselves from it. Happy could not focus properly on her welding project and she consequently ruined two otherwise perfect steel beams. She could hear Toby making loud, sarcastic comments to the television, presumably trying to diffuse the tension with humor, but no one was finding it funny. She resigned herself to cleaning her work station instead.

It had started simply enough with the usual disagreement between Tim and Walter, this time because Tim had interrupted Ralph and Walter’s chess game since Tim wanted Ralph to open the gift he had brought him. 

“Presents aren’t supposed to be opened until tomorrow morning, the gift can wait,” Walter said without so much as turning his head towards Tim, who stood over their table. 

“Well, ya, I know that, but this present can only be used at night, so if Ralph opens it in the morning, he won’t be able to try it out until the evening.” Tim argued. 

Walter moved a piece on the board. “Lucky for him, night happens every twenty-four hours, it’s not like right now is the only nighttime.” He looked up at Ralph, who nodded. 

Tim rolled his eyes dramatically, exaggerating the motion and moving his shoulders too. 

“Ok, well, tonight’s the only night that there’s a chance of flying reindeer. Don’t you want to check it out Ralph?” Tim asked, looking to Ralph now. 

“A flying reindeer is a biological impossibility,” said Ralph, moving his bishop three spaces. 

Walter let out a small laugh, and then covered it by squinting determinedly at the little horse-shaped piece and stating, “Interesting choice.”

Tim ignored this, focusing still on Ralph. “Ralph, where’s your holiday spirit?” 

Ralph shrugged, his eyes not leaving the board. 

Walter shifted in his seat to finally face Tim and look up at him properly before stating, “He’s eleven years old and a certified genius. He’s not interested in that stuff. If you want holiday spirit you might as well go sit on the couch and watch  _ It’s A Wonderful Life  _ with Cabe and Toby.”

At this, Tim twisted his face up in anger. His chest rose as he took in a deep breath. “Fine!” he burst, his hands flying up in defeat. He took a few steps backwards, turning to head into the living room of the garage. 

“Just because  _ you  _ were deprived of a childhood, Walter, doesn’t mean you should deprive  _ him  _ of one!” Tim’s voice was growing louder with every word, getting the attention of Cabe and Toby on the couch, Sylvester at his desk, and Happy and Paige in the kitchen. 

“I’m not depriving him of anything! I’m  _ teaching  _ him things! Important things!  _ Real _ things that  _ matter! _ ” Said Walter, getting on his feet as well. 

“Boys! Enough!” Paige commanded as she stomped furiously into the room. “Quit it! Both of you! Tim, you need to control your temper. And Walter, you need to stop being so rude. It’s Christmas!” 

“Sorry,” Walter mumbled, sitting down again. 

“I’m not,” Tim said, turning to Paige and still furious. “I’m tired of being treated like garbage around here! Paige, I’m trying as hard as I can to impress you, to impress Ralph, and he just keeps shutting me down!” Tim grabbed his jacket off the back of a chair and staggered towards the door. Paige followed him, her hands clutched in fists by her sides. 

“ _ Shutting you down? _ So now you’re blaming my son for… what? For being himself? He has different interests, Tim. You can’t fault him for that.” She said. 

“I didn’t —, I’m not —,” Tim stumbled over the words through his anger. He stopped for a second, shutting his eyes tight, before opening them again to look directly at Paige. 

“How am I supposed to be able to have a real relationship with you when  _ he’s  _ always hanging around? It doesn’t work. I don’t deserve to be lead on like this when everyone here knows the truth — that you like him and he likes you.” He paused dramatically to gauge the reactions in the room. Everyone was frozen in their spots, as if time had stopped. At some point Cabe stood up, maybe to go after Tim. Happy looked to Toby, whose eyes were wide. Another second passed before Tim turned once again to Paige, and time started again. 

“I’m getting out of here,” he said, and bounded across the room and out the door. Paige chased after him, yelling at the top of her lungs. 

“You aren’t his father, Tim! You can’t expect him to choose you over Walter!” That was the last anybody heard before the garage door closed and the argument became muffled vibrations against the wall. Everyone turned back to their tasks in silence, trying in vain to make sense of the voices outside. Walter and Ralph kept at their game, but Happy noticed that Walter was visibly distracted. At 11:10pm, when still the fighting had not stopped, Walter asked Sylvester to take his place opposite Ralph, and he went upstairs into his bedroom and locked the door. At 11:20, Happy looked up to see Toby gliding over to her. 

“Hey,” he said with a soft smile, “Why don’t you leave this for a different day? It’s Christmas Eve! Come watch the movie with us.” 

“I don’t like Christmas movies.” Said Happy, shining one of her tools. 

“You don’t like the  _ cheesy  _ ones. We could watch  _ Die Hard _ . That’s technically a Christmas movie, you know.” He said playfully. 

Happy shook her head. “Not in the mood.” 

Toby frowned. “Hap, what’s the problem? Is it them?” He asked, gesturing towards the garage door.  

“No,” she said, but Toby saw her shoulders tense. Toby sighed. 

“Ok, what is it? You might as well tell me, I’ll figure it out anyways. I can help you if you just talk to me.” 

Happy stopped and looked up at him. His amber eyes were bright tonight, and just a bit red around the edges from the whiskey he’d been drinking. She could smell it lingering on his lips and it was oddly enticing. She bit the inside of her lip before conceding. He would eventually get it out of her anyway. 

“You really want to know?” She asked. 

“Of course,” he said, moving closer to her. 

“Okay… you’re right. It’s Paige and Tim, they freak me out.” She confessed, immediately feeling a huge weight lift off her chest. She didn’t say anything else, because Toby nodded at her to continue. She rolled her eyes and put her tool down hard on the desk. 

“It’s just that, if those two, the perfect couple, can’t figure out how to make a relationship work, what hope do the rest of us have?” 

Toby was taken slightly aback at this question. He looked subconsciously to the space near the door where they used to be, taking a second to think before speaking. 

“Happy, love doesn’t care about logic.”

“What?” Happy asked, skeptical. “That sounds unabashedly poetic. Stop showing off.” 

The pair laughed a little at that, unable to stop themselves despite the serious nature of the conversation. “No, Happy, I’m serious, I’m serious!” Toby tried to get her to focus again. 

“You’re right that Paige and Tim look like the perfect couple. Both young, attractive people, working at a government job way over their heads — it makes sense that they would get together. And by all accounts they should work perfectly. But,” he pauses for effect, “they don’t love each other.” 

Happy raised her eyebrow at him. “Tim sure seemed into her.” 

Toby gave a little half shrug. “Well it’s gotta go both ways.”

They heard the garage door open and turned their head quickly to it. Paige walked in, viciously wiping tears from her eyes. 

“Come on, Ralph. Get your things. We’re going home.” Said Paige. Happy heard a lock click above them. 

“Oh God, Walter no…” Toby muttered. They looked quickly to each other before hurrying out into the main room. Walter clambered down the steps two at a time. 

“Paige…” he called on his way down, “Paige, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen.” He stated when he reached the bottom. 

Paige looked at him, aggravated at first, but then she shook the anger from her face. 

“Shh,” She put up her hand to silence him, “I know, Walter. It’s not your fault. Sometimes things just…” A few more tears fell from her eyes, and she had to stop as her voice caught in her throat. She took a deep breath before starting again, “Sometimes things just don’t work out.” 

Paige attempted a smile up at Walter, but she couldn’t quite form it. Ralph swung his backpack over his shoulder and then took his mother’s hand in his own. 

“Merry Christmas,” he announced to no one in particular. Paige nodded and guided them to the door. 

“Merry Christmas,” Toby chimed back, and then Cabe and then Sylvester. Walter stood, paralyzed, watching her go. Happy was watching him, and astoundingly, she thought she knew the look on his face. He looked pained, like he wanted to say something but the words wouldn’t come out. Happy thought about how hard it was for her to get the words out, too. But when she finally did…

“Wait!” Walter cried. Paige spun around to face him. 

“Walter, please, not tonight —,” 

“No, Paige, wait.” He moved over to her with a sudden urgency, “It  _ was _ my fault. I wanted Tim to leave, but… I didn’t mean to hurt you. I wanted him to leave because I love —,” Walter stopped short on the word. There was an audible gasp from Sylvester, and Happy felt her own heart race. Instinctively, she grabbed Toby’s arm. 

Paige’s eyes widened in shock. She dropped Ralph’s hand. Walter was looking at the floor now. For a long time, no one said anything. 

And then, without warning, Paige spoke again. “I love you too, Walter.”

Walter ripped his eyes from the floor to look at her, stunned, and then Paige was moving towards him. When she reached him, she brought her hands up to his cheeks, pushed herself up to the tips of her toes, a placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

He did nothing at first, and then wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back with fervent desire. Happy, Toby, Sylvester, and Cabe gaped at the couple, but Ralph stood with a giant smile plastered across his face. 

Her heart still racing, Happy whipped around and pulled Toby down into a deep, electrifying kiss. 

“What was that for?” Asked Toby, breathless, when they pulled apart. Happy smiled. 

“I love you, you know. I don’t think I say it enough.” 

Toby smiled back at her, a look so pure it melted Happy’s hard exterior just a little, though she wouldn’t admit it. He kissed her, more tender and light but somehow, Happy noticed, still full of all his passion. 

“Don’t look at me, I’m not going to kiss you,” Happy heard Cabe deadpan, presumably to Sylvester. She laughed despite herself, and decided that, for tonight, it was ok to let her guard down. It was Christmas after all. 


End file.
